Friends to Lovers
by ReesesPieces2112
Summary: Just a Ben and Riley story. Set after Ben apologizes after Riley caught him kissing his boss' daughter.
1. Apology

It all happened so fast; one second he was asking her not to tell her dad that he was outright lying about his life, and the next she had him pushed up against a wall and kissing him.

"Really?" Riley said.

Ben pulled away from his boss' daughter with a panicked look. "Riley! This…this isn't what it looks like."

"Really? Because it looks like you ditched me with your boss so you could shove your tongue down some stranger's throat."

"No!" He gently pushed the girl away from him. "Technically she was shoving her tongue down my throat, I was just trying to push it back out."

Riley sighed and tried to stop the tears from forming. "You're such…a jerk. I hate you, Ben Wheeler."

"No, Riley, come on." Ben whispered, trying to grab her hand.

"I need to go." She pulled her hand away from him and started walking out.

"Riley, wait!" Ben ran after her, but she was faster than he expected.

She had made it home just as Danny had knocked on her door. She ran a hand through her hair as she fumbled with her keys. "Danny? What are you doing here?"

"I uh, I needed to talk to you." He said, following her inside. "What's…what's wrong?"

"You're brother is such an idiot." Riley sighed, exasperated as she pried the fake ring off her finger and shoved it into his hands. "Next time I agree to help him, please stop me."

"Sure." He said, closing his hand around the small piece of metal. "Listen, my brother's an idiot. You deserve someone that's-."

"Not a total jackass." Ben interrupted, standing at the door.

"What are you doing here?" Riley scoffed, putting her hands on her hips.

"I came to explain." He closed the door and made his way to her.

"Well…go on."

"I don't know what happened, I followed her to the bathroom so I could beg her not to tell her dad. I hit on her just a couple of days ago when I was out with Emma, and I didn't know she was my boss' daughter. We were talking and next thing I knew, she just-." He grabbed her face and pulled her in for a kiss.

"Mmph!" She whined through the kiss but eventually leaned in to it. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close.

Ben's hands moved from her face, to her neck, down her torso, and locked together at the small of her back.

Danny stood off the side, unsure of what to do. He scratched the back of his neck and cleared his throat loudly.

Riley jumped away from Ben and put a hand to her mouth, looking away from him.

"Um, sorry, Danny." Ben blushed lightly. "Clearly Riley and I need to talk about some things. I'll see you at home, okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Danny nodded sadly, walking towards the door and leaving.

"Riley, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-." Ben began to apologize, but was stopped when she wove her hands though his hair and pulled his face toward hers for a small kiss.

Riley pulled away and took a small step back, her eyes glued to the ground.

Ben was taken aback and he wasn't sure what to say; sure, he had started it when he kissed her first, but something had come over him that he was quite sure how to explain. On his way to her apartment, he contemplated how to word his apology without making it worse. She said she hated him, and with her being his best friend since they were in school, it scared him to think he'd lose her.

"You should go." She whispered, breaking him out of his trance.

"Wait, what?"

"I said you should go!" She screamed, pushing at him. "God, Ben, I'm not like all your other girlfriends where you can just kiss them and everything would be okay!"

"That's not what I was doing! Riley!" He grabbed her by the shoulders. "I just…I couldn't lose you."

"Lose me? What are you talking about?"

"You said you hated me then left. What was I supposed to think?"

"Wha-I…ugh!" She groaned. "I didn't mean it like that. I was just mad."

"I know. And what happened back there, shouldn't have, it was my mistake, just please…don't leave me?" Ben held her hand to his chest, pleading with her as if his life depended on it.

Riley looked up at him, her mouth slightly open, her eyes a soft brown, and she could feel his heart beating faster. "I won't. I'm sorry I said I hated you. You know I never could."

Ben let out a small laugh of relieve, pulling her in and holding her. "I don't know what would happen if you walked out of my life. I mean, what would it do to Emma?"

Riley laughed softly. "We both know you'd be so lost without me."

He pulled away from her slightly. "I…love you, Riley."

She stood frozen; she'd imagined this moment so many times before and now that it's happening, she's completely paralyzed.

"Um." He panicked. "Now would be a good time to say something."

"Iloveyoutoo!" She breathed, then shook her head and laughed nervously. "I mean, I love you, too."

"Good." He smiled, cupping her face and kissing her again. He felt her smile into the kiss and lifted her up.

Riley laughed as she wrapped her legs around his waist, then suddenly felt herself being dropped on her bed with a soft _thump._

* * *

**Not much to say. I was just watching the Baby Daddy marathon today and I came up with the idea while watching the episode "Cheater" (:**


	2. Working Late

"Hi, honey." Bonnie greeted Danny early the next morning. "Ben and Emma aren't up yet?"

"Emma is." Danny mumbled. "Ben isn't home. He hasn't been all night."

"What?!" She raced to the bedroom where Emma lay. "He left her in his room alone?!"

"No." He sighed. "I moved her crib into my room after he called and said he was 'working late'."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. "That boy."

"He wasn't working late, mom!" He suddenly yelled.

She jumped back by his sudden outburst. "What is the matter with you? Emma is right here and she'll get scared with all your yelling."

"He was with Riley." Danny buried his face in his hands.

"Oh, sweetie." Bonnie put a soothing hand on his shoulder. "I know you've had some feelings for Riley, but-."

"But what?! Mom, this isn't fair! He only wanted her because she said she hated him!"

"Okay, Danny, stop. I know this is hard, but you can't let something silly like a girl come between you and your brother."

"It isn't silly." Danny sighed heavily. "I love her, mom. And all she is to him is a one night stand."

"Hey, I'm home!" Ben beamed, coming through the door. "Hey, mom. When did you get here?"

"Why did you leave Emma alone last night?" She countered.

"I…didn't." He laughed, walking to the refrigerator and opening it. "I told Danny I was working late."

"Really? Because Danny tells me otherwise." She put her free hand on her hip.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, grabbing the gallon of milk and drinking from it.

"Honey, 'working' is not what we call 'having sex with my best friend'."

"I did not!" He denied, his voice going up an octave or two.

"Even if your brother didn't rat you out, I know what hickies are, and you my son, are covered with them."

"Okay, fine." Ben sighed. "So I spent the night with Riley. I know it sounds a little weird, but when we woke up this morning, it felt so right."

"When '_we_'woke up?" Danny questioned. "As in you were still there when her eyes opened?"

"Yeah." Ben narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you're not that type of guy." Danny grit his teeth. "You live for one night stands."

"Not with Riley. She's different." He looked at the clock. "And she's gonna be here in about ten minutes so we can take Emma to the park."

"So, you're like this little family now?"

"Yeah, I guess." Ben smiled at the thought before going into his room and coming back out five minutes later with a change of clothes. "I'll be in the shower."

"This is all moving way too fast. Don't you think, mom?" Danny turned to his mother, who was sitting on the couch, coddling Emma. "Mom!"

"Things take their own course, Danny, who's to say they won't break up by tonight?"

"She loves him, why would she dump him?"

"Ben isn't the type to settle for one girl, aside from Emma." Bonnie stood up from her seat, carrying Emma over and handing the baby to Danny. "I want to tell you to fight for her, but I don't want this bond between you and your brother to be broken. She's just a girl, Danny."

"She's not just a girl." He sighed. "She's…something special, mom. She's funny, talented, smart, she'd do anything for a friend."

"I know it hurts not getting what you want, honey. But the look on Ben's face when he came in here today, he was practically glowing. Have you ever seen him like that before?"

"No." He mumbled.

"Sweetheart, you have to remember that you are not the only boy in Riley's life. It took some time, but Ben's finally realized just how special she is too."

There was a knock on the door, before Riley came in with a smile. "Morning."

"Good morning, Riley." Bonnie nodded. "What are you so chipper about?"

"Nothing, really." She shook her head, hearing the bathroom door open and turning her attention to Ben. "Hey."

"Oh, hey." He smiled, walking over and giving her a quick kiss before running a towel through his hair. "Let me just get Emma ready and we'll go."

"Sure." Riley was looking at the ground and blushing; she knew that Bonnie and Danny knew what had happened the night before and was still trying to make sense of it herself.

"Good night, Riley?" Danny asked.

"Uh, yeah, I guess." She wiped her bangs from her face. "Why do you ask?"

"Just because." He shrugged, taking a drink of the water he had; he was trying to be civil, for Riley's and Ben's sake. He loved them, but he didn't believe he could just change over night and Riley was…she was the girl he grew up with. The girl he loved even when she was big, Ben never did.

"Hey, ready?" Ben asked, smiling as he brought the stroller around the couch to strap Emma in.

"Let's go." Riley smiled, linking her arm with his as they headed for the door.

"Have fun!" Bonnie called, waving them off.

Danny slumped forward in his seat and stared at his glass. "I hate this." He mumbled.

"I know you do, sweetheart." His mother patted his shoulder. "But it will get better, I promise."

* * *

Riley laughed with Emma in her arms as she went down the slide. "Emma, wasn't that fun?"

Emma cooed in response followed by a giggle, making Riley grin down at her.

Ben sat at the bench just across from them, resting; Emma may have been a baby, but she certainly required someone with a lot of energy. He smiled at the sight of his daughter and his…best friend? Girlfriend? He wasn't too sure what Riley was yet, but he knew it was definitely more than friends at this point.

"You have a beautiful family." A voice broke through his thoughts.

"I'm sorry, what?" He asked, looking up the woman standing next to him.

"I said you have a beautiful family." She laughed. "I didn't mean to break your train of thought."

"Oh, no it's okay." He smiled, scooting over and offering her a seat.

"Thank you." She put her bag down on the ground as she sat. "My name's Carly. What's yours?"

"I'm Ben. Nice to meet you." He stuck his hand out, taking hers and shaking it.

"And your wife's name?"

"Oh, she's not my wife. She's my-."

"Girlfriend?"

"Um…yeah." He laughed nervously, which for him seemed a little odd considering the only time he ever got nervous was when he really wanted something to work out. "Uh, you're here with…?"

"Oh, my nephew." Carly pointed to a little brown haired boy on the swing set. "My sister and her husband are taking a second honeymoon and I offered to baby sit."

"That's nice. What's his name?"

"Jackson." She replied, watching her nephew carefully. "To be totally honest, it's a bit harder than I thought it would be taking care of him. He's such a speed demon. I was actually stopping to take a rest when I came over." She blushed.

"Oh, no, I get it. Trust me." Ben laughed. "I'm terrified of the day my daughter starts walking."

"Ben?" Riley interrupted, walking over with Emma. "Looks like someone's tired."

"Oh, Emma." Ben smiled as he stood and reached for a tired Emma. "Riley, this is Carly, Carly this is Riley."

"Hi." Carly smiled in the friendliest way possible.

"Hi, nice to meet you." Riley returned an equally friendly grin.

"I was just talking to Carly about Emma." Ben said after putting Emma in her stroller.

"Yeah?" Riley smiled up at him as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"She's a very beautiful little girl." Carly commented. "You're lucky."

"Thank you." Riley didn't bother telling her that Emma wasn't her daughter; it was a long, complicated story that shouldn't exactly be shared with a stranger.

"Well, looks like we have to get the little one home for her nap." Ben sighed heavily. "It was nice meeting you."

"You too." Carly nodded, watching them walk away. "Charming." She smiled to herself.

"She didn't seem a little…odd to you?" Riley asked Ben on their walk home.

"Not really." He shrugged. "So, listen, we need to talk about what happened last night."

* * *

**Anybody else upset with how they're not even trying to expand on the Ben/Riley relationship? I understand Danny has a thing for her, but come on...**


End file.
